Cardiac myxoma - clinical experience in 24 patients

We reviewed our clinical experience in 24 patients with cardiac myxoma. There were 8 males and 16 females, their ages ranged from 14 to 73 (mean, 48) years. Prior to echocardiographic examination, cardiac myxoma was suspected clinically in only 2 cases. The remaining patients were initially diagnosed as having mitral valvar disease (9 cases), infective endocarditis (3 cases), congestive cardiomyopathy (4 cases), pericardial effusion (1 case), systemic embolism of unknown cause (1 case), cerebrovascular accident (2 cases), ventricular septal defect (1 case) and Ebstein's malformation (1 case). The tumor was in the left atrium in 16, in the right atrium in 2, in the biatrium in 1, while one was in the right ventricle and peripheral arterial occlusion had been produced by myxoma without demonstrable cardiac tumors in the other two. Twenty-two patients underwent open heart surgery for excision of myxoma and there was no surgical mortality. Abdominal embolectomy was carried out in 2 patients; one of these 2 patients survived and 1 died. Follow-up for a mean period of 32 months (range 2 to 99 months) was possible in 18 patients with no evidence of recurrence. We conclude that cardiac myxoma may mimic many cardiovascular diseases, so a high index of suspicion is important for its diagnosis. Echocardiography is the most useful diagnostic screening tool.